Various design considerations may apply in the design of a module including an electronic integrated circuit (IC) and having optical data ports. Such a module may have a plurality of optical inputs (e.g., optical fibers) for receiving optical data, and a plurality of optical outputs (e.g., optical fibers) for transmitting optical data. Photonic integrated circuits may be used to convert the received optical data to electrical data, the electrical data may be processed by an electronic integrated circuit to form output electrical data, and the output electrical data may be converted to optical data by additional photonic integrated circuits. In the design of the module, it may be advantageous for example (i) to keep power conductors short, to reduce voltage drops (e.g., if the electronic integrated circuit operates at 0.9V), (ii) to provide a path for heat to escape from the electronic integrated circuit, and (iii) to provide a benign temperature range for the photonic integrated circuits.
Thus, there is a need for a module providing such advantages.